I installed Ubuntu Touch on my Nexus 5

I have been waiting very anxiously for the ability to install Ubuntu Touch on my phone.  I have been every excited about this phone operating system.  I was looking at some forums and I noticed that someone said they had Ubuntu Touch running reasonably well on their Nexus 5.  I previously was only looking for support on a Galaxy S4 (a backup phone) since there are a few apps that are a must for me.  I did a quick search to see how far Ubuntu Touch has come on the Nexus 5 and noticed this forum post talking about Multirom support for Ubuntu Touch.  Multirom is a tool that allows you to dual-boot various different Android roms.  The tool has been greatly expanded to support dual-booting alternative operating systems, like Ubuntu Touch.

I rooted my phone (I didn't have a need previously to this) then followed the instructions.  It took about an hour to install Ubuntu Touch.  I installed 14.10 devel, build r179.

I was surprised how usable the system was.  There are a few major issues and a lot of minor issues.  I wouldn't consider it usable for most people.  It is almost usable for me, though.  I imported my Gmail contacts and calendar.  I text regularly with my wife.  I use the Gmail and Facebook webview apps.  The Pandora app works.  The unofficial Dropbox app doesn't work very well.  I can list my content, but downloading is a little weird.  I tried the camera and gallery apps.  I have launched the terminal a few times.  There wasn't a need to launch the terminal, I just launched it to see if it would work.

Wifi and 4G work, but Bluetooth does not.  The built in browser works ok.  I tried the Youtube app, but that is just a webview.  I installed a Google Maps app but I haven't actually tried turn-by-turn directions.  It did use the GPS to correctly identify my location.  The file manager app is ok.  I haven't tried a music player yet, but I'm assuming it will work fine since Pandora worked.  The weather app works ok.  The basic weather information is native, but if you click on anything to get more detail, you get the www.weather.com mobile website.

I haven't figured out how to copy files between the Android and Ubuntu sections of the SD Card.  My Qi charger still charges the phone.  The swipe gestures from the top, right and left edge work perfectly fine.  The swipe gesture from the left edge doesn't always work when I have my phone cover on.  If I take the cover off, then it works fine.  I am compiling an issues list that I will post in a few days.

Overall, I am very impressed with how far the Ubuntu Touch development team has come.  I am excited at the progress and the prospect of using it as my primary phone operating system.